VOA常速英语:倾听历史的声音：美国男子跨越千里游历古迹

Travelling through western Texas, national parks traveler Mikah Meyer got a chance to immerse himself in American history.
穿越西德克萨斯州，国家公园旅行者米卡.迈耶得以沉浸在美国历史当中。

“I’m in Fort Davis National Historic Site which is a military outpost that was used in the 1800s to help to defend American interests in the West Texas Chihuahuan Desert.”
“我现在所在的地方就是福特.戴卫斯国家历史古迹，19世纪时它被用作军事哨所，帮助美国捍卫在西德克萨斯州奇瓦瓦沙漠的利益。”

The Chihuahuan Desert, which spans more than half of the border between Mexico and the U.S.,covers much of West Texas – arguably, a perfect place for a fort.
奇瓦瓦沙漠覆盖美国和墨西哥之间一半以上的边界，贯穿西德克萨斯州大部分地区——可以说是建造堡垒的完美之地。

On one side you see the high wall of rocks that can either protect or make more precarious the fort location,and on the other side you see the vast, open desert for which the military would be able to see their enemies coming behind us."
“一方面你可以看到岩石筑成的高墙，它不仅可以起到保护作用，还能使堡垒的战略位置更加危险，另一方面你还可以看到空旷无垠的沙漠，这样一来，军队便能看到紧随其后的敌人。”

That could be why Fort Davis established in 1854 is considered one of the best surviving examples of a military post in the American Southwest.
正因如此，1854年建起的福特.戴维斯堡被视为美国西南部现存最好的军事据点之一。

“From my vantage point of the Fort Davis’ overlook, you can see the entirely of the Fort Davis National Historic Site.”
“从我这个位置来俯瞰戴维斯堡，你可以将福特.戴卫斯国家历史古迹的全景都收入眼中。”

The site also honors the Buffalo Soldiers, freed African American slaves who joined the U.S. Army following the Civil War.They were called Buffalo Soldiers because Plains Indians thought the soldiers’ hair resembled that of buffalo,an animal the Indians greatly revered.
设立戴维斯国家历史古迹也是为了纪念水牛战士，这些战士都是被解放的美洲黑奴，内战之后加入了美国军队。之所以称其为水牛战士，是因为平地印第安人觉得这些战士的头发跟水牛特别像，水牛也是极受这些印第安人尊敬的动物。

The Buffalo Soldiers stationed at Fort Davis served from 1867 to 1885,where they played a major role in the settlement and development of the American West.Their mission was to protect travelers and the mail on the San Antonio-El Paso Road,and to support military operations to control hostile American Indians.
驻扎在戴维斯堡的水牛战士从1867年一直服役到1885年，期间他们在美国西部的开拓和发展中发挥了重大作用。水牛战士的任务就是保护圣安东尼奥到埃尔帕索路段上的旅客和邮件安全，同时也要支持军事行动，控制敌视白人的印第安人。

Fort Davis symbolizes a bastion of U.S. military presence in West Texas.
“戴维斯堡象征着美国在西德克萨斯州驻军的捍卫者。”

“Visitors will notice that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, NBA superstar, is the host of the Visitor Center video because of his keen interest in these Buffalo Soldiers and their mark on history and what the United States has become today for people of all races.“
“参观者们可以看到，NBA超级巨星贾巴尔为游客服务中心主持拍摄了这段视频，因为他对水牛战士以及他们在历史上曾取得的成绩，还有在各种族人民相互影响下，美国如今的样子都十分感兴趣。”

“The old fort can also be viewed as a symbol of the tragic conflict that engaged North America’s original inhabitants against the unrelenting wave of other Americans.”
“这座旧堡垒也可以被视作悲剧冲突的象征，因为当时北美原始居民不断遭受其他美国人的无情冲击。”

Today, the National Park Service is sensitive to the plight of the native Americans and around that area at the time of the Fort existence,but is proud, nevertheless, to preserve this historic site “as a lasting memorial to all U.S. soldiers who faithfully served their country for almost half a century.”
如今，美国国家公园管理局对戴维斯堡存在时期附近一带美国原住民所遭受的苦难十分敏感，但是却为保存下这个历史古迹而感到自豪，“作为一个永恒的纪念馆，铭记在长达近半个世纪的时间里，一心尽忠报国的所有美国战士。 ”

Julie Taboh, VOA news, Washington.
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